South Korean President Yoon declares period of national mourning for Itaewon crush
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared a period of national mourning after an apparent crowd surge killed at least 149 people in the Itaewon district of Seoul during Halloween celebrations.
Speaking on Sunday morning, Yoon sent his condolences to families of the victims and wished all injured “speedy recoveries.”
He said it was “miserable” to see the disaster play out in the heart of the capital, and would come up with measures to prevent similar accidents in future.
Yoon said the mourning period would continue “until the handling of the accident is concluded.”
The crush in Itaewon on Halloween is one of South Korea’s worst disasters since a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, mainly high school students.
윤씨가 나와서 비참하다 어쩌구 저쩌구 했다는 소식과 함께 이번에 이태원에서 일어난 사건은 주로 고등학생을 중심으로 304명이 사망한 2014년 여객선 침몰 이후 대한민국 최악의 재난 중 하나라고 썼네요